The Roots of Black History Month and Why it’s Celebrated

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The month of February is well known for representing affection and gratitude for our loved ones. However, this month also marks another significant celebration that we must recognize and appreciate: Black History Month. With the Black Lives Matter movements' resurgence as of summer 2020, it has become increasingly important to honor the accomplishments of the Black community whilst fighting alongside them for BIPOC liberation.

Prominent figures such as Martin Luther King Jr, Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver and Barack Obama are just a few people who’ve made an influential impact in American history. But who was the founder of this historical celebration? Let’s take a look at the roots of Black History Month.

The History Behind Black History Month

In 1915, a century after the Thirteen Amendment nullified slavery in the United States, a Harvard historian named Carter G. Woodson and the notable minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, an organization devoted to researching and publicizing the attainments by African Americans and people of African descent.

During the following years, many countries started to publish yearly proclamations, raising awareness towards the title, Black History Week. By the late 1960s, the recognition of Black identity grew, due to the civil rights movement. Eventually the week that remembered African Americans began to transform into Black History on college campuses across nations. Years later, President Gerald Ford authenticated Black History Month in 1976, appealing to the public to lay hold of the opportunity in paying tribute to the disregarded achievements of Black Americans.

Today, now referred to as The Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the organization promotes a civil Black History week scheduled for the second week of February, during the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two men whose remarkable attainments African Americans commemorated. Woodson felt that if the movement was dedicated for a week straight, it would later become yearly celebrated. This impactful event has encouraged communities to arrange regional celebrations, form history clubs, and host performances and speeches.

Now for the real question: Why do we celebrate? As American citizens, it’s important that we honor the fulfillments that African Americans have made to history in their fight for freedom and equality, deepening the meaning of our nation’s history. For that reason, every American president has appointed February as Black History Month and favored a particular theme. The theme for 2021’s Black History Month is “Black Family: Representation, Individuality and Diversity” which digs deeper into the African diaspora and the proliferation of families across the United States.

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Dear Asian Youth SCV

February 23rd

Author: Carolyn Cho